A fast-paced, exciting YA book. I'm thrilled this is a standalone rather than part of a series, so I could read through knowing all the plot points would be resolved rather than having to wait (and potentially forget what had even happened in the first book).

It IS a YA novel, so while I could guess almost immediately some of the twists (that Master Wren was leading some kind of cult, that Rolladin had some kind of connection to the girls and their mother), but getting there was exciting and quick, which is what really matters in a book like this.

I definitely thought there was going to be some kind of reveal that Phee and Sky weren't sisters, that Phee was just some orphan that their mom took in, since so much was made of how different the two girls were, emotionally and physically. But I'm glad it didn't happen. They didn't get along, but they were sisters, and they loved each other. The almost love triangle with Ryder was incredibly stupid, but, again, it makes sense that Phee would fall for basically the only new boy she's ever known (though I have a weird feeling that Phee and Sam are better for each other).

I'm not sure how I was supposed to feel about Sarah. She was a good (enough) mom, who took care of her girls and taught them resiliency, but there was absolutely no reason for her not to tell them about her past. I understand wanting to glass over the parts of her relationship with Mary, but to leave them completely in the dark when they were constantly asking?

I wish we had gotten more exploration of Mary/Rolladin. Knowing that she was going to turn into the Warden obviously colored my impressions of her, but the how is always the most fun part. If she had gone to the summit, saw Tom, realized she didn't want to lose Sarah, and THEN faked an attack to tell everyone about, I feel that would have bridged the gap between the Mary that we know and the Rolladin who was willing to lie to everyone that the war was still going. What was the point of that lie? So people would stay in Manhattan? Wouldn't they have anyway once they realized there was nothing out there for them?

I wish a lot more had been fleshed out, but it was already a long book, and honestly enjoyable enough that I'm not too bothered. ( )

This book was amazing. It was moderately paced with complex characters and the backdrop of World War III added to the storyline. The plot is pretty straightforward and doesn't deviate, meaning that there weren't unnecessary threads to take away from the events as they unfolded. I recommend this book to everyone who loves reading young adult literature and dystopian literature as well. ( )

Great premise but not so great execution. It just felt..unfinished.
City of Savages is told through the POV of two sisters. Sky and Phee. Honestly I preferred Sky's, Phee was a tad irritating at times. And I seriously dreaded the love triangle that was forming. I mean, did the sisters really need to fall for the same guy? I understand this is a dystopian/post-apocalyptic story but I've never been a fan of love triangles no matter the circumstance.
As for the writing, it was well written but I was hoping for a bit more world-building.
( )

This book was pretty good for a dystopia. The background story on how it came to be was interesting and set it apart from other stories of this genre where most of the time it’s vague and no one remembers a thing because it was that many years later. So this was nice to read about. The plot alternates between Sky and Phee, but also some parts here and there from present to the past. I prefer reading about Phee because she’s the all around tough girl who can hold her own whereas Sky is more on the romantic idealistic side of things.

The flow of the story is good with stops here and there for character development and plot hooks. It’s engaging and interesting for a good part of the book until you read a little more than half of the novel. This is where the eye rolling instances come on. You knew the love triangle was going to happen. It got pretty nauseating and petty (but then again, Ryder was practically the only guy these two girls have met that they actually liked) and it severely hampered the plot. I didn’t care for this too much as it brought the plot to a complete halt and made reading it not as enjoyable. I begged for something better to come along.

To be fair, it got more interesting towards the final story arc, where you find out more truths about Sky and Phee’s family, and what happened in the past. Everything came to a nice close towards the end. The cheesy romance was still there and induced more eye rolls, but it was toned down for the latter part of the book.

Character wise, Phee would have to be the most interesting as she’s more aggressive of the two sisters and of a more stronger personality. She wasn’t a good match for Ryder anyway as they were just two very different people and completely incompatible but you kinda wish she found someone who’s just as tough as she is.

The romance nearly killed the book for me in this one. I’m glad I went through it as it proved to pick up the pace and went back on track. It’s a hidden gem and if you can get past the obvious, you’ll find a good dystopian story worth reading. ( )

Good book! Told alternately by two sisters with very different personalities who are nonetheless close though they have their differences. ( )